Although Slovenia has been a popular travel destination for Europeans for quite some time, it’s remained fairly untouched by Americans. In fact, I never planned on coming here, but resigned myself to a change of plans after missing my flight to Morocco. Best mistake I ever made.

I met only two other people from the States during my week in Slovenia, both of whom were currently living in Europe. I almost feel guilty writing about this—my new favorite country in a long list of favorite countries—because I don’t want to share responsibility if Slovenia ever loses its magic due to over-tourism like its neighbor Croatia.

Alas, this is a new blog and I can’t concern myself with the future just yet. I just want to share my beautiful photos and giddy excitement over this hiker’s paradise, which only set me back a few hundred dollars for an entire week-long, last-minute adventure.

Things to Do:

Lake Bohinj

Bohinj is a town (village? I still don’t understand these un-American concepts) at the very end of a popular bus route which takes hoards of tourists from Ljubljana to Lake Bled several times a day. Our plan was to spend a couple days in Bled and then make our way to Triglav National Park, but a flirtatious barista recommended we skip Bled altogether and head straight to the giant, silent Lake Bohinj on the southeast edge of the park, full of waterfalls, strenuous mountain hikes, and very few tourists of the selfie-variety. I’m so glad we heeded her advice.

Every morning that we’d planned on leaving Bohinj ended with us sipping our third espresso at the little campground cafe, chatting with other campers and deciding, with very little resistance, ok, fine, we’ll stay another day. We had the nagging sensation we were in the beginning of a horror movie, but it truly was an inescapable paradise, and nothing else we’d planned for our three-week backpacking trip could beat the hikes, views, or company surrounding us.

Our two-hour hike straight up the mountain to get to Black Lake was worth all the soreness the next day. Fair warning, though: the water was ice cold in late April.

It’s worth mentioning that Triglav National Park is huge, and was sadly too much for us to trek through in only a few days, especially given the blocked hiking routes due to snow still on the mountaintops in April. The park fills up with European tourists in the summer, but—according to our campsite receptionist—they’re mostly of the hardcore outdoorsy-type and less of what you’ll find just an hour bus ride northeast in Bled.

We did have time to explore a few of the area’s highlights, though, and got extremely lucky with weather in an otherwise wet spring (when we did finally pack up camp, however, we did so in a torrential downpour which, of course, evaporated into clear skies the moment we finished).

Here's a smattering of things to do around the lake:

As you can see the water was quite cold.

Waterfalls—What better way to soak up negative ions than standing under an ice-cold waterfall after several miles of steep incline? There are multiple waterfalls near Lake Bohinj no further than a few hours hike. Only one we stumbled across had an entrance fee (3 €). While we did have to combat flash rainstorms a few times, it was great having these natural wonders to ourselves in the off-season.

You’re damn right we belted Just Around the River Bend in our respective languages.

Canoe Rental—We found canoe stations every couple of kilometers along the main road that runs parallel to the east side of Lake Bohinj, with affordable prices for 1-2 hour rentals (well, if you split the cost with someone). It took us almost a full two hours to canoe from one end to the other, spend some time in the water at a tiny island beach, try to row upstream into a side river, fail, and make it all the way back to the station.

Lake Path—The 7.5 mile (12ish km) loop around Lake Bohinj is a great way to explore the villages and natural wonders, with restaurants, bars, outdoor activity centers, and medieval churches on one side, and pure, serene nature on the other. We took a wrong turn and ended up lost behind a fence on someone’s property, but the view of the mountains and deer under the cacophony of evening birds made it a slow search back to the path.

Really, Really Hard Hikes—Maybe leisurely walking around a lake isn’t your thing. Don’t fret! You too can have quads on fire for hours on end, just to be rewarded by spectacular (smaller) lakes, waterfalls, snowy forests, and unbeatable views of the valley. Dress in layers for the mountains even if it’s warm and sunny down below, and prepare to be awed (and, at times, terrified by the “paths” on the edge of cliffs).

Lake Bled

Extremely touristy, but there’s a reason for that.

We spent a single night here before heading back to Ljubljana to catch our flight to Spain. We stayed in the Jazz Hostel and I cannot recommend this place enough (no, unfortunately, they are not paying me to say this). This small, family-run hostel includes a HUGE breakfast at no extra charge, with waffles, omelettes, lattes, as well as all the typical hostel buffet items. The owners are extremely friendly and helpful, providing insight on avoiding the more expensive tourist traps and suggestions for day trips to famous gorges and hiking spots.

If flashpacking is your thing, there are plenty of things to do in Bled: visit the castle (11 €), explore the fine-dining restaurants (try the famous Bled Cream Cake!), sign up for a water sports adventure or hot air balloon, or simply stroll around the lake and peruse the shops. We’re poor and boring so we were perfectly content to just wander around the city for free.

Ljubljana

Tons of greenery, very few cars in the center of town, and a lively but relaxed vibe reminiscent of Portland, Oregon.

The small capital city of Slovenia is a beauty in its own right. A quick hike up to the castle gives you a striking view of the city and the Julian Alps. The National Museum of Slovenia has a fascinating exhibit on the tiny country’s history, from pre-civilization to the present. Also, they serve cold brew in a wine glass.

Traditional Slovenian Skutni Štruklji, buckwheat dough rolled with cottage cheese and topped with cinnamon and sugar.

Slovenia isn’t Prague-cheap, but it’s typically not as bad as Western Europe. Like other countries in the region, Slovenia has its own spin on several classic dishes worth trying. Their goulash—hands down—was both our favorites (compared to Austria, Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic…plus I was backpacking with a Frenchie so obviously that’s a culinary opinion worth more than my lowly American one).

Slovenia’s proximity to Italy makes for some delicious pasta dishes, and Ljubljana in particular has no shortage of international fare. Our favorite spots which both include an affordable menu as well as a variety of veg/vegan options were Hood Burger—a Slovenian fast food restaurant with high-quality ingredients, and Pizzeria FoculuS—serving pizzas which easily feed two hungry people and have customizable organic crusts (I got mine with activated black charcoal…maybe this trend is going a little too far).

We also met a bunch of super friendly locals who were more than happy to recommend day trips and other activities. In general, Slovenians speak some of the best English I’ve heard in all of Europe, and not once did we get into a predicament because of a language barrier.

Nothing like a silent city hike in the off-season.

So there you have it: by no means an ultimate guide to the entire country, but hopefully a strong case for stepping outside the typical tourism trajectory and seeing this beautiful place for yourself. And who knows? Maybe one day soon the American Passport will hold something resembling a semblance of value again.

Backpacking Slovenia

Things to Do:

Lake Bohinj

Lake Bled

Ljubljana